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LBWMF: Rays on the cusp of a division title after defeating the Mets, 2-1

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Nate Lowe plated the deciding run on a homer to center off Jacob deGrom.

Jacob deGrom was fantastic against Tampa Bay on Monday night, yet the Rays pitching staff was able to outpitch both him and the Mets, allowing them to edge out New York, 2-1. Nate Lowe scored both runs in the victory.

With Tampa Bay’s win and the Yankees 11-5 loss in Buffalo, the Rays end the night 17 games over .500 on the season and with a magic number of one to clinch the division. What’s more, given the White Sox loss to Cleveland, the Rays lead the South-Siders by 1-1/2 games for the top record in the American League with five games left to play.

After abruptly leaving his previous start after two innings and three runs with a right hamstring spasm, Jacob deGrom was absolutely dominant, striking out 14 (tying a career-high) over seven frames, while walking two and scattering four hits. Tampa Bay, however, made those hits count.

deGrom struck out the side in the first inning on 10 pitches, although Nate Lowe earned a full-count walk to begin the second. Lowe moved up to third on Joey Wendle’s first-pitch double to the left-center gap before Manuel Margot hit a two-strike sacrifice-fly to center, scoring Lowe for a 1-0 lead.

Two innings later, Lowe blasted a 1-0 solo solo shot to center for a two-run lead. It was Lowe’s fourth homer in 11 games.

On the mound for Tampa Bay, Pete Fairbanks opened his second game of the season and threw 1-2/3 scoreless innings. The right-hander walked Brandon Nimmo to start the first, yet he was erased when he was caught stealing. All told, Fairbanks struck out two and threw 15 of 25 pitches for strikes (60% strike rate).

Ryan Thompson followed Fairbanks and struck out Pete Alonso to get the final out of the second. He took the mound again in the third inning and got the first two batters of the frame before former Rays backstop Wilson Ramos hit a single to right, signaling the end of Thompson’s night. Josh Fleming — who was slated to pitch the bulk of the innings — came in and got the final out of the third and allowed just a grounder in the fourth.

Even so, former Ray Guillermo Heredia battled back from an 0-2 count to earn a free pass, while Ramos hit a single to right on the next pitch, putting two on and moving a runner into scoring position. After Nimmo was hit by a pitch, consequently loading the bases, Jeff McNeil hit an infield RBI single that Willy Adames made a diving stop on, scoring Heredia and bringing the Mets within one. But, J.D. Davis lined to right on the very next pitch, keeping the Rays in front.

Fleming came out in the sixth and got the first two batters before Diego Castillo took over with Alonso, whom he quickly put away, stepping into the box. Castillo came out in the seventh and put down all three batters (all right-handers) in order. Ryan Sherriff worked around a two-out walk for a scoreless eighth, preserving the one-run lead.

Finally, Nick Anderson battled in the ninth to earn the save. The right-hander started the frame with an 11-pitch at-bat against Robinson Cano which resulted in a fly-ball out to deep centerfield. Alonso followed and got ahead of Anderson 3-0 before he struck out. Finally, Andrés Giménez popped out, ending the ball game.

The New What Next

The Rays will look to clinch the AL East title in game two of the series against the Mets on Tuesday. Blake Snell (4-1, 3.05 ERA) will get the start pitching opposite of right-hander Seth Lugo (2-3, 4.34 ERA).

Blake Snell allowed one run on two hits and a walk over 5-1/3 innings against the Orioles on Thursday. He struck out four. Snell was in line for his fifth win of the season in an eventual 3-1 victory, but after he exited the game with a runner on second and one out, Diego Castillo allowed the inherited runner to score. Snell tossed 73 pitches (47 strikes, 64% strike rate) in the strong outing, and carries a 3.05 ERA and a 3.6 K/BB through 44-1/3 innings into his final start of the regular season, on Tuesday. Snell is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in one career start (7-1/3 IP) against the Mets.

Seth Lugo allowed six runs on eight hits and no walks across 1-2/3 innings against the Phillies on Thursday. He struck out three. Lugo entered the game having posted a 2.65 ERA over 17 innings since joining the starting rotation on August 25, although he was unable to tame Philadelphia’s bats. The right-hander surrendered four home runs in the brutal outing, two of which came against Bryce Harper. In only 1-2/3 innings of work, Lugo yielded a season-worst eight hits and saw his season ERA balloon to 4.34. He relies primarily on a whiffy 94 mph four-seam fastball and a 94 mph sinker with slight arm-side run and slightly above average velocity, while also mixing in a 79 mph curveball with slight glove-side movement, an 88 mph slider with less than expected depth, and an extremely hard ground ball inducing 88 mph changeup. He has never faced the Rays. Key Matchup: Manuel Margot (5-6, 2B)

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.

TNWN: Rays vs. Mets — a series preview

Rays 9/22/20 Starting Lineup

  1. Tsutsugo DH
  2. B. Lowe 2B
  3. Arozarena LF
  4. N. Lowe 1B
  5. Wendle 3B
  6. Adames SS
  7. Kiermaier CF
  8. Phillips RF
  9. Perez C

Noteworthiness

— The Rays unveiled the 40-man player pool for the 2020 postseason. Below, you will find the player pool, including top overall prospect Wander Franco:

Catchers (4): Mike Zunino, Michael Perez, Kevan Smith, Ronaldo Hernández

Infielders (9): Willy Adames, Mike Brosseau, Vidal Bruján, Ji-Man Choi, Yandy Díaz, Wander Franco, Brandon Lowe, Nate Lowe, Joey Wendle

Outfielders (8): Randy Arozarena, Kevin Kiermaier, Manuel Margot, Austin Meadows, Brian O’Grady, Brett Phillips, Hunter Renfroe, Yoshi Tsutsugo

Pitchers (19): José Alvarado, Nick Anderson, Diego Castillo, John Curtiss, Oliver Drake, Pete Fairbanks, Josh Fleming, Sean Gilmartin, Tyler Glasnow, Brent Honeywell Jr., Aaron Loup, Shane McClanahan, Charlie Morton, Trevor Richards, Ryan Sherriff, Aaron Slegers, Blake Snell, Ryan Thompson, Ryan Yarbrough

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TNWN: Rays vs. Mets — a series preview

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Ryan Yarbrough was a hard-luck loser on Sunday, allowing two runs across seven-plus innings while striking out eight.

After winning four out of five games in Baltimore in the penultimate road series of the regular season, the Tampa Bay Rays took the train north to New York where they will take on the Mets in a three-game series, starting Monday night. The Rays are attempting to secure an AL East division title which could happen in this series. The Mets, who dropped two of three to Atlanta, are looking to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

Tampa Bay enters play 16 games over .500, in first place in the division over the Yankees by 3-1/2 games, and with a magic number of three to clinch an AL East title with six games left to play.

As I mentioned in the previous series preview, the Rays haven’t been what one would call an offensive juggernaut over the last six series, although things are continuing to trend upward for the team … even if that rate of change is at a glacial pace. They are starting to get “lucky” again — as it relates to BABIP — when they put the ball in play, while their OBP (.320, up from .317) and SLG (.425, up from .413) improved from the series against Washington to the most recent one. They are still striking out at an alarming clip, although they have been able to reduce their K% from 30.5% to an almost unperceivable 29.9%.

Meanwhile, the Mets are, by in large, outperforming their season numbers, especially when you look at their wRC+ — New York is performing at an 18% greater clip than their season average (143 wRC+ vs 125 wRC+). Even so, the Mets are 5-5 over their last 10 games, and 9-11 over their last 20. They are going to need a remarkable finish to qualify for the playoffs. The Mets are 2-1/2 games back of the eighth seed with only seven games remaining. what’s more, they are 12-15 are at Citi Field this season.

This is the first meeting between the two since 2018 when the Rays took two-of-three and outscored the Mets 13-5.

Pitching Probables

Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will roll out Josh Fleming (3-0, 3.47 ERA) — who will pitch behind opener Pete Fairbanks (5-3, 2.74 ERA) — Blake Snell (4-1, 3.05 ERA), and Tyler Glasnow (4-1, 4.21 ERA). Luis Rojas will counter with Jacob deGrom (4-1, 2.09 ERA), Seth Lugo (2-3, 4.34 ERA), and Steven Matz (0-5, 9.79 ERA).

Pete Fairbanks allowed two hits and recorded two strikeouts over one scoreless inning of work. The right-hander labored through a 27-pitch frame, but ultimately, he did enough to come through unscathed and became the pitcher of record when the Rays rallied for four runs in the home half of the inning.

Josh Fleming allowed one hit and one walk over 3-2/3 scoreless innings on Wednesday against the Nationals. He struck out two. The southpaw was set to follow opener Pete Fairbanks, but he ended up entering as the third pitcher of the day. Still, it was a strong rebound outing for Fleming, who had given up seven runs in his previous two turns. He now maintains a 3.47 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 3.6 K/BB through 23-1/3 innings on the season.

Jacob deGrom exited his last start against the Phillies with a right hamstring spasm. The 32-year-old was removed after allowing three runs over two innings due to the injury. The severity of the injury remains unclear. deGrom relies primarily on a whiffy 99 mph four-seam fastball with slightly less natural movement than typical and a hard 93 mph worm-killer slider, while also mixing in a whiffy 91 mph changeup that dives down out of the zone. This season, the Mets have lost just two games he has started, so it likely will be a tough slog for the Rays. deGrom is 0-0 with a 1.88 ERA in two starts against the Rays. Key Matchups: Kevin Kiermaier (2-6, 2B), Hunter Renfroe (3-9, 2B)

Blake Snell allowed one run on two hits and a walk over 5-1/3 innings against the Orioles on Thursday. He struck out four. Snell was in line for his fifth win of the season in an eventual 3-1 victory, but after he exited the game with a runner on second and one out, Diego Castillo allowed the inherited runner to score. Snell tossed 73 pitches (47 strikes, 64% strike rate) in the strong outing, and carries a 3.05 ERA and a 3.6 K/BB through 44-1/3 innings into his final start of the regular season, on Tuesday. Snell is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in one career start (7-1/3 IP) against the Mets.

Seth Lugo allowed six runs on eight hits and no walks across 1-2/3 innings against the Phillies on Thursday. He struck out three. Lugo entered the game having posted a 2.65 ERA over 17 innings since joining the starting rotation on August 25, although he was unable to tame Philadelphia’s bats. The right-hander surrendered four home runs in the brutal outing, two of which came against Bryce Harper. In only 1-2/3 innings of work, Lugo yielded a season-worst eight hits and saw his season ERA balloon to 4.34. He relies primarily on a whiffy 94 mph four-seam fastball and a 94 mph sinker with slight arm-side run and slightly above average velocity, while also mixing in a 79 mph curveball with slight glove-side movement, an 88 mph slider with less than expected depth, and an extremely hard ground ball inducing 88 mph changeup. He has never faced the Rays. Key Matchup: Manuel Margot (5-6, 2B)

Tyler Glasnow got the start Friday against former Ray Alex Cobb and battled, allowing one run on four hits (one home run) and two walks while fanning 10 across five innings on 95 pitches (64 strikes, 67% strike rate, 20% SwStr%) en route to his fourth win of the season.

Glasnow, however, really had to work for his outs, using 50 pitches over the first two frames. The right-hander had a runner at second with one out in the first inning, then really did some heavy lifting in the second. He loaded the bases on a walk sandwiched around a pair of singles. However, Glasnow struck out Bryan Holaday and Andrew Velazquez, then got Cedric Mullins to fly to left, keeping Baltimore off the board.

Getting out of the second inning was a big step from me. Good growth moment, like Kyle would say. I felt, like, calm … nothing sped up.

— Tyler Glasnow

The right-hander’s only mistake of the night came in the bottom of the fourth when he allowed an Austin Hays solo shot to begin the frame. Yet, Glasnow struck out the side afterward (as well as in the first) and surrendered nothing else. Glasnow came into Friday’s contest averaging 14.2 K/9 and raised it to 14.6 by the time his night was over. He again lowered his ERA, this time to 4.21 (3.47 FIP), and maintains an impressive 3.95 K/BB across 51-1/3 innings this season. Glasnow is 0-2 with a 7.07 ERA in five career outings (two starts) against the Mets.

Steven Matz allowed six runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out five across 2-2/3 innings against Atlanta on Friday. It was Matz’s first time pitching since he was activated from the Injured List Sunday, and it was his first start since August 15. The rust was clearly evident as he allowed eight hits (including two home runs) and three walks to the first 16 batters he faced. Matz’s outing makes him the third consecutive Mets starter to fail to go at least three innings after both Jacob deGrom (hamstring) and Seth Lugo were pulled before the third inning in their respective outings. The southpaw owns a 9.79 ERA to go along with a 3.33 K/BB across 26-2/3 frames this season. Matz relies primarily on a blazing 95 mph sinker that generates a lot of swings and misses and a firm 85 mph changeup that dives down out of the zone, while also mixing in a 78 mph curveball with sharp downward bite. He is 0-1 with a 1.42 ERA in one career start against the Rays. Key Matchups: Kevin Kiermaier (1-4), Manuel Margot (2-2, 3B, HR), Hunter Renfroe (1-1, 2B)

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TNWN: Rays look to cap the season finale against Baltimore with a win

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Charlie Morton earned a W last night even though things did not look good at the start.

After earning their fourth consecutive win against the Orioles on Saturday, 3-1, the Tampa Bay Rays look to do something rare and unusual this afternoon: sweep a five-game set.

At 35-18 on the season, the Rays enter play with the best record in the American League, while their magic number to clinch the division over the Yankees, who have won 10 straight, is down to four with seven games left to play. According to FanGraphs, the Rays have a 96% chance of winning the division.

Charlie Morton got off to an inauspicious start Saturday — getting into a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the first inning — yet he limited the damage and battled his way to a win over Baltimore, allowing one run on five hits and two walks and two hit batters while striking out six across five innings of work on 94 pitches (61% strike rate, 26% SwStr%). For only the second time since returning from the Injured List on September 2, Morton was able to make it through five innings, surrendering a lone tally to pick up his first win since August 4. Morton’s final pitch count of 94 bodes well for his ability to throw without limitations in the postseason. Between a shoulder injury that cost him nearly three weeks and an uncharacteristic 4.64 ERA (albeit reduced from 5.13), the 2020 campaign has been somewhat disappointing for the right-hander, he could provide a significant boost to the Rays’ rotation if he’s able to peak heading into the postseason. He’ll get one last tuneup on Friday against Philadelphia.

He settled in and did a really nice job of competing, making pitches, and getting a feel for everything that he had. But most of all encouraged that we got him to that 95-pitch mark and throughout that the velocity stayed consistent.

— Kevin Cash
https://twitter.com/RaysBaseball/status/1307479334756798465?s=20

Meanwhile, Yoshi Tsutsugo and Randy Arozarena provided some thunder, both of which hit right-field blasts, accounting for all three of the Rays runs.

Ryan Thompson helped the Rays tie a big-league record yesterday. The right-hander earned his first major league save and became the 12th different Tampa Bay player to collect a save this season. That’s something only the Texas Rangers have accomplished, and that was in 1973. In that particular season, the Rangers went 59-103 and saw three different managers (Whitey Herzon, Del Wilber, and Billy Martin) in all.

Tampa Bay has leaned heavily on the ‘pen over the last four days. As Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) noted, the pen worked 6-2/3 innings around Josh Fleming working as a bulk pitcher Wednesday, then 5-1/3 innings on Thursday in a doubleheader, and four more on Friday and Saturday.

Because of it, Ryan Yarbrough will get the start in the series finale against the Orioles, rather than pitch behind an opener as he did in his last outing.

The Rays are expected to get a roster boost, as Mike Zunino (oblique strain) is expected to be activated this afternoon. Zunino has been out since August 26th, a span of nearly four weeks.

He’s taken (batting practice), he’s faced some live pitching. It’s not the most ideal buildup, but that’s what’s at stake right now. With no (minor-league) games for him to go play in, but we feel he’s in a good spot and should be 100 percent good to go.

— Kevin Cash

With Zunino’s return, the Rays seem likely to drop a reliever (presumably Sean Gilmartin) and keep three catchers since Kevan Smith is out of options.

The New What Next

The season finale between the two ball clubs will pit Ryan Yarbrough (0-3, 4.31 ERA) against fellow southpaw John Means (1-3, 5.63 ERA).

Ryan Yarbrough took over with one out in the second and quickly went to work against the Nationals, working around a Carter Kieboom single and striking out two to get out of the frame unscathed. Even though Yarbrough went just 2-2/3 innings against the Nationals in his last start, the lefty posted 5-2/3 frames of one-run ball on this night, allowing five hits, and hitting a batter while striking out five. He threw 52 of 86 pitches for strikes (60% strike rate, 17% SwStr%). Yarbrough allowed just four hard-hit balls and kept the Nationals off-balance throughout the night.

Yarbrough’s biggest frame came in the fifth inning. After he allowed back-to-back hits with just a 2-0 lead, Victor Robles laid down a sacrifice bunt, moving the runners up to second and third. But Adam Eaton grounded to third with the infield in, and Trea Turner popped to first to end the threat.

Washington was able to get run off Yarbrough in the sixth inning when Juan Soto doubled then came around to score on a pair of groundouts. Even so, Yarbrough held the Nationals to 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Yarbrough is 3-0 with a 3.38 ERA in seven games (two starts) against Baltimore.

John Means allowed one run on five hits and one walk while striking out four across six innings on Sunday against the Yankees. After posting shaky results to start the season, Means has settled into a groove over his past two outings, allowing one run over six innings in each appearance. While he was rewarded with the win his last time around, he had to settle for a no-decision Sunday as Baltimore mustered only one run. Means has had a rough time at home (9.00 ERA), allowing six of his homers at Camden Yards while giving up 16 runs in 16 innings. The right-hander relies primarily on a whiffy 94 mph four-seam fastball that has some added backspin, and an 85 mph changeup, while also mixing in a hard 87 mph slider and an 80 mph curveball with sweeping glove-side movement. Means is 2-1 with a 3.68 ERA in four games against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Michael Brosseau (4-9, 3 HR), Nate Lowe (1-3, HR), Kevan Smith (1-3, 2B)

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.

TNWN: Rays vs Orioles — a series preview

Rays 9/20/20 Starting Lineup

  1. Margot CF
  2. Arozarena LF
  3. Tsutsugo 3B
  4. Smith DH
  5. Adames SS
  6. N. Lowe 1B
  7. Renfroe RF
  8. Zunino C
  9. Wendle 2B

Noteworthiness

— The possibility of a return for the playoffs for infielders Yandy Diaz and Ji-Man Choi, both sidelined with hamstring strains, is uncertain. Diaz has been out since September 1, while Choi was hurt on September 12. Both have taken swings off a tee and tossed balls in Port Charlotte, and on Sunday and Monday, they will take live batting practice on the field.

Yet both have to make a lot more progress to be ready for the postseason opener.

Taking BP is still a fairly long way away from actually being in a game. We’ll see where they’re at on Tuesday.

— Kevin Cash

— Jose Alvarado, who started throwing off the mound in Port Charlotte, is another option. The left-hander has been out since mid-August with a shoulder issue.

— As Marc Topkin writes, the Rays have some decisions to make by today. “By noon Sunday, the Rays and other teams must submit a list of the 40 players — 28 active, 12 from the injured list/alternate site camps — who will be eligible during the postseason. Because that group will enter a quarantine starting Tuesday in St. Petersburg for those local and the rest of the team after returning from New York after Wednesday’s game, changes can only be made due to “exceptional circumstances,” requiring league and player union approval. The Rays figure to go heavy with pitchers, including Edgar Garcia and Trevor Richards, who are on the 40-man roster. An interesting possibility is Brent Honeywell, who continues to progress in working back from his latest arm issues.”

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LBWMF: Rays top the Orioles, 2-1

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Bend, not break.

Tyler Glasnow battled through five innings on Friday night, while Tampa Bay’s bullpen made a one-run lead hold up for the remaining four frames, as the Rays defeated the Orioles on Friday, of 2-1.

At 34-18 on the season, the Rays again have the best record in the American League, as their magic number to clinch the division over the Yankees is down to five with eight games left to play. The Rays enter play with a 95.2% chance of winning the division according to FanGraphs.

Tyler Glasnow got the start Friday against former Ray Alex Cobb and battled, allowing one run on four hits (one home run) and two walks while fanning 10 across five innings on 95 pitches (64 strikes, 67% strike rate, 20% SwStr%) en route to his fourth win of the season.

Glasnow, however, really had to work for his outs, using 50 pitches over the first two frames. The right-hander had a runner at second with one out in the first inning, then really did some heavy lifting in the second. He loaded the bases on a walk sandwiched around a pair of singles. However, Glasnow struck out Bryan Holaday and Andrew Velazquez, then got Cedric Mullins to fly to left, keeping Baltimore off the board.

Getting out of the second inning was a big step from me. Good growth moment, like Kyle would say. I felt, like, calm … nothing sped up.

— Tyler Glasnow

The right-hander’s only mistake of the night came in the bottom of the fourth when he allowed an Austin Hays solo shot to begin the frame. Yet, Glasnow struck out the side afterward (as well as in the first) and surrendered nothing else. Glasnow came into Friday’s contest averaging 14.2 K/9 and raised it to 14.6 by the time his night was over. He again lowered his ERA, this time to 4.21 (3.47 FIP), and maintains an impressive 3.95 K/BB across 51-1/3 innings this season.

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay took a first-inning lead with a two-out rally against Cobb. Brandon Lowe singled to right before Mike Brosseau walked. Nate Lowe followed with an RBI single to right, giving Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead.

Then in the third, Yoshi Tsutsugo led off the frame with a triple off the top of the wall before Brandon Lowe singled to right, plating a run and giving the Rays a two-run advantage. The former Ray buckled down though and got Nate Lowe to ground into an inning-ending double play.

From there Cobb really found his stride, allowing just a pair of walks in the middle frames and nothing else. He gave up just two runs on four scattered hits while walking three and striking out five.

Tampa Bay was held in check (woo hah) over the final three innings by Baltimore’s ‘pen, which combined to keep the Rays off the board. In the seventh, the Rays were able to load the bases with two out against Paul Fry, but Michael Fulmer — who entered the game in relief of Fry — got Brosseau to hit a comebacker, thus ending the threat.

In his second appearance since coming off the Injured List, Oliver Drake followed Glasnow with a scoreless sixth, allowing just a two-out single. Aaron Loup followed the right-handed LOOGY for an easy seventh with a pair of strikeouts, before Nick Anderson punched out two batters in a perfect eighth.

Ryan Sherriff closed things out with a 1-2-3 ninth allowing him to pick up his first big-league save. Sherriff became the 11th Tampa Bay player with a save this season, tying a franchise record in only 52 games; the big-league record is 12.

The New What Next

Charlie Morton (1-2, 5.14 ERA) will get the start in the fourth game of the five-game set, pitching opposite of Jorge Lopez (2-0, 5.23 ERA).

Charlie Morton allowed three runs on six hits and no walks while striking out four across 4-1/3 innings on Sunday against the Red Sox. The Rays’ offense staked Morton to a narrow lead in the fourth inning, but the advantage quickly slipped away in the top of the fifth inning. On a more encouraging note, the right-hander threw 77 pitches (55 strikes, 71% strike rate) as he continues to steadily build back up to full strength following his month-long absence. Morton is 3-2 with a 3.38 ERA in six career starts against Baltimore.

Jorge Lopez allowed one run on five hits and two walks over seven innings on Monday. He struck out three batters. Lopez dominated Atlanta’s lineup all night with the lone blemish — a solo shot by Freddie Freeman in the sixth inning. It didn’t hurt that his offense tallied 14 runs of support for the right-hander. Lopez moved to 2-0 on the season and lowered his ERA to 5.23. Lopez relies primarily on a 94 mph sinker with slight arm-side run, a hard 81 mph 12-6 curveball with sharp downward bite, and a 94 mph four-seam fastball with some natural sinking action, while also mixing in a firm 87 mph changeup with slight arm-side fade. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (1-2), Kevin Kiermaier (2-2, 2B), Manuel Margot (1-1)

You can read about the series in our preview, While the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.

TNWN: Rays vs Orioles — a series preview

Rays 9/19/20 Starting Lineup

  1. Tsutsugo LF
  2. B. Lowe 2B
  3. Arozarena DH
  4. N. Lowe 1B
  5. Wendle SS
  6. Brosseau 3B
  7. Kiermaier CF
  8. Phillips RF
  9. Perez C

Noteworthiness

— Today is #VoteTeenth — a day where we recognize that there are people across Florida who are free to vote but don’t know it. Help me spread the word that returning citizens with paid fines & fees can register before Oct. 5! #FreeTheVote http://voteteenth.org

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LBWMF: Rays sweep doubleheader, punch postseason ticket

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Blake Snell led the way in the first game of the Rays doubleheader against the Orioles on Thursday.

The Tampa Bay Rays swept the doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday — winning 3-1 in the first game, and 10-6 in the second — and in doing so, they punched their ticket to a second consecutive postseason berth; the sixth playoff berth in franchise history.

Next stop: working their way to an AL East title.

The Rays enter play Friday 15 games over .500, and with a 3-1/2 game lead over the second-place Yankees, with nine games left to play. Any combination of six Tampa Bay wins and New York losses will give the Rays a third-ever division title, and their first since 2010.

Willy Adames is undoubtedly the hero of the second game of the day/night doubleheader. Mired in a big slump, Adames broke through in the first inning with a big three-run homer to left-field. That snapped the team’s 0-for-20 stretch with runners in scoring position dating back to Tuesday. The Rays went 5-for-8 in the second game.

Adames later collected another hit and ended the night with two runs and three RBI.

Hunter Renfroe also came up big. After allowing a run to cross the plate in the top of the third inning — with a runner on first, Ryan Mountcastle hit a liner to right that went under the glove of a diving Renfroe for an RBI double — the outfielder crushed a 91 mph center/center fastball to put the Rays up by two.

Yet for the eighth time in nine appearances (and for the sixth consecutive appearance), starter Trevor Richards allowed two crucial runs to cross the plate on a bloop (a leadoff single into right-center in front of a four-man outfield) and a blast (a Rio Ruiz homer to right-center) in the fourth inning — spelling the end of his night.

And Richards departed, things continued to go downhill. Ryan Thompson entered the game in relief and punched out Austin Hays, yet Pat “Cobra Kai” Valaika reached on a two-out single that rolled toward third before Cedric Mullins slashed a single to left. D.J. Stewart followed with a two-RBI double into the right-field corner, giving Baltimore a short-lived two-run lead.

However, Tampa Bay knotted things up in the bottom of the frame. Starter Bruce Zimmerman departed the contest after a Nate Lowe single to left. Right-hander Travis Lakins Sr. took over and got the next two batters, but Joey Wendle blasted a 1-2 offspeed pitch to right, tying the score at six.

Tampa Bay took the lead for good in the fifth inning, which Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) wrote about.

With the contest tied at six, Mike Brosseau started the rally against Cole Sulser by drawing a walk. Brosseau then stole second and Adames hit a grounder toward the bag at third. Adames reached on an infield hit, and Brosseau moved to third on a Rio Ruiz throwing error. Nate Lowe then looped a single to left, putting Tampa Bay ahead 7–6, and chasing Sulser.

Dillon Tate came on and Manuel Margot reached on a bunt single, loading the bases. Kevan Smith then hit a dribble to the third-base side of the mound and Tate’s throw home hit Adames as he scored on the infield single to make it 8–6 Rays. Joey Wendle and Randy Arozarena followed with successive sacrifice flies for a 10–6 advantage.

— Neil Solondz

There is still work to be done, which INF Joey Wendle spoke about in a pre-game media Zoom call.

We’re in a position to do that. If we continue to play good baseball from here on out, that would be our goal. Our short-term goal is to win the division, obviously.

It’s kind of hard to focus on that necessarily as a goal when we don’t feel like we’re playing well, so I think goal one is to kind of turn things around, start playing a little bit better, start putting together good at-bats, good games, good series. Here, (then) a good series when we go to New York (to face the Mets next). I think winning the division would be a product of that.

— Joey Wendle

With a 94.8% chance of winning the AL East (according to FanGraphs), and with the first postseason hurdle out of the way, that work begins in earnest on Friday … that is, assuming there is no imaginary celebratory hangover from all the imaginary champagne bottles they popped Thursday night.

The New What Next

Tyler Glasnow (3-1, 4.47 ERA) will take the mound in the third game of the five-game set, pitching opposite of former Ray Alex Cobb (1-4, 5.03 ERA).

Tyler Glasnow gave up four runs on six hits and a walk over seven innings on Saturday against the Red Sox. He struck out seven. It wasn’t the sharpest outing for Glasnow yet he got just enough offensive support to get the win. Part of Glasnow’s problem was his inability to control the running game —the Red Sox went 6-for-6 on steal attempts against the battery of Glasnow and Michael Perez, an ongoing weakness that other teams could exploit down the stretch if they get the chance. The right-hander will take a 4.47 ERA and 3.84 K/BB across 46-1/3 innings into his next start on Friday. Glasnow is 3-0 with a 2.12 ERA in five starts against the Orioles, and 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA in two starts at Camden Yards.

Alex Cobb coughed up five runs on seven hits — including three homers — and a walk over four innings of work against the Yankees. He struck out three. The right-hander’s first start since August 29 went poorly, to say the least, as New York took Cobb deep twice before he even recorded the first out. It’s the first time in eight outings he’s served up multiple homers, while the rough return to action pushed his ERA above 5.00 for the first time this season. The Rays scored two runs on four hits over four innings of work against Cobb back on July 31, although they were able to chase him after 87 pitches. Overall, Cobb is 0-3 with a 4.61 ERA in five starts against his former team. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (2-4, 2B), Manuel Margot (1-2, 2B), Michael Perez (1-4, 2B), Hunter Renfore (1-2, 2B), Yoshi Tsutsugo (1-2, 2B), Joey Wendle (4-11)

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.

TNWN: Rays vs Orioles — a series preview

Rays 9/18/20 Starting Lineup

  1. Tsutsugo DH
  2. Arozarena LF
  3. B. Lowe 2B
  4. Brosseau 3B
  5. N. Lowe 1B
  6. Margot CF
  7. Renfroe RF
  8. Adames SS
  9. Perez C

Noteworthiness

— After exiting Thursday night’s ballgame due to left oblique soreness, OF Austin Meadows was placed on the Injured List with a left oblique strain. LHP Sean Gilmartin, who had been on the taxi squad, has been selected to take Meadows’ place on the active roster. In order to clear room on the 40-man roster, LHP Cody Reed has been moved from the 10-day IL to the 45-day IL.

— These hats are already available via the Rays online store, and they’re sharp!

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